Small single-use bulk articles, such as fruits and vegetables, are packed in a variety of containers for shipping and sale. These containers include corrugated paperboard boxes and bags. Often the containers are especially configured to suit the particular shape of the small bulk article. For example, a corrugated paperboard container includes liners having dished recesses that receives and holds avocados. Some types of articles, such as oranges and related fruits, are often grouped into large-volume containers and sold as a group rather than individually. A variety of types of bags have been used for this purpose, including plastic film bags with a number of small openings spaced widely apart for communication of air and mesh bags made of plastic filaments or fiber materials. The bags allow the contents to be inspected prior to purchase. However, bags lack sturdy side walls which make bags difficult to transport. Typically a group of the bags are placed in a larger container, such as a wood-cleat crates or corrugated paperboard containers. The containers are opened at the point of sale for customers to inspect the goods and select a bag to purchase.
Small corrugated containers have been provided in the past for storing shipping and displaying citrus and other fruit, vegetable, and other small article bulk products. These corrugated containers have openings that allow air communication between the interior of the container and atmosphere. In some instances, the containers are “open” top and stack together to “close” the container below in the stack. The upper container is closed by a covering sheet. At retail the upper container in the stack is open for inspection and selection of the contents. The empty container is removed to open the next container. While those types of containers are useful for products purchased in single quantities, volume-packed products typically are placed in a closed container for selection of the group rather than individual articles.
A recently provided container combines the rigid side walls of a corrugated container with a mesh-covered opening in the top, whereby the contents can be at least partially observed by the customer prior to purchase. The corrugated container provides a sturdy bottom, side walls, and top portion for stacking the containers for shipping from packers to wholesalers and retail outlets. The open-top container is first filled with the articles to be shipped and displayed, and the top portion folded to partially close the container. Second, header sheets attach to the lengthwise ends of the netting member and adhesively fix to the outside faces of the opposing side walls. The container accordingly provides a viewing window in the top so that consumers may inspect the contents of the container prior to purchase. The netting member facilitates communication of air between the contents and atmosphere while providing a netting or mesh sheet to retain the articles within the container.
While containers such as this have met with success in packaging citrus for shipping to wholesale and retail markets, there are drawbacks to its use. The assembly and packing process requires filling the container and then further manipulating the container to secure the opposing header sheets to the netting member and to the side walls of the container. This container however leaves the opposing sides of the netting loose relative to opposing end portions of the top. Unfortunately, this enables consumers to remove single articles for exchanging articles among containers.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved small bulk articles container that facilitates inspection of the articles by consumers while restricting substitution of articles among containers and a method of filing such container with the articles. It is to such that the present invention is directed.